Aeroplane flying machine



April 15 1924.

H. 0. SHORT AEROPLANE FLYING MACHINE Filed Oct. 18

1922 4 Sheets-Sheet l 60 Q6 M I April 15 1924.

H. 0. SHORT AEROPLANE FLYING MACHINE 4 Sheefs-Shet 2 Filed Oct. '18. 192-2 All April 15, 1924. 1,490,718

v H. 0. SHORT AEROPLANE FLYING MACHINE Filed Oct. 18 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 April 15 1924.

H. 0. SHORT AEROPLANE FLYING MACHINE Filed Oct. 18 1922 4 SheetsSheet 4 l atented Apr. 15, 1924.

sire srarns HUGH OSWALD SHORT, OF ROCHESTER, ENGLAND.

AEBOPLANE FLYING MACHINE.

Application filed October 18, 1922. Serial No. 595,312.

fuselage, that the pilot seated in the fuse lage is able to have a clear view either above or beneath the said plane.

In order to attain this object according to this invention and as applied for in stance to a biplane flying machine, the upper plane is located and passes transversely across the fuselage at a short distance above same, and also a gap is formed in the plane centrally above the fuselage, said gap extending from the leading edge of the plane rearwards to near behind the cockpit in which the pilot is located, so that, due to the upper plane being at such a short distance above the upper surface of the fuselage and also due to the gap in the plane above the cockpit in which the pilot is seated, the pilot is enabled to obtain a view either above the surface of the upper plane or beneath it as he desires, and this is a. very considerable advantage in many circumstances, and particularly in war machines.

The invention further comprises constructing the rear edge of the upper plane immediately above the fuselage also with a gap extending forwardly for a short distance from the trailing edge of the plane, to accommodate a gun mounting located in a cockpit in the fuselage rearward of the pilot, and to permit the gunner located in such cockpit to have a view either above or below the upper plane.

In carrying this invention into effect as hereafter described, the front spars of the wings formed by the upper plane are extended across the forward gap above mentioned, so that the inner end of the front spar of the right-hand wing will meet the inner end of the front spar of the left-hand wing, the adjacent meetingfends of the two front spars being united together as by a pivot pin, which also connects the two ends of the spars to a pillar extending up from the fuselagein front of the pilot and which pillar may be of streamline form in horizontal section.

The rear spars of the upper plane at their meeting ends are also united cent-rally above the fuselage and are supported similarly by a pillar extending from the fuselage.

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawmgs.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, Fig. 2 is a front elevation, and Fig. 3 is a plan view, showing a biplane machine constructed according to this invention, parts of the wings and the rear portion of the fuselage being broken away for economy of space.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation showing the connection together of the meeting inner ends of the front spars of the wings above the fuselage, and also showing the connection of the said ends together and to asupport on the fuselage, Fig. 5 being a plan View of the parts shown at Fig. 4:.

Fig. 6 is a section taken through. the joint at the meeting ends of the front spars of the wings and through a portion of the fuselage, the view being taken at right angles to Fig. 4 in order to show the connection between the front spars of the wings and the fuselage.

Fig. 7 is a section showing a modified construction of the strengthening devices for the fuselage beneath the point of connection of the spars thereof.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 which illustrate the invention applied to a tractor biplane machine, the lower wings 1 pass beneath the fuselage 2, which latter is supported therefrom in any convenient manner, preferably by inclined struts 3 proceeding from the structure of the lower plane 1, the lower ends of the struts 3 being preferably arranged immediately above the strut supports 4: of the wheeled landing chassis as shown, or above the strut supports of floats where such are employed, the machine shown in the drawings being fitted with a wheeled landing chassis. The

upper plane constituting the upper wings is indicated at 5, and the propeller at 6.

The fuselage in the machine illustrated in the drawings, is constructed in accordance with the specificationof my patent application Serial Number 587,562 and is built up of a plurality of annular sleeves of sheet metal of requisite diameters so that the end of one sleeve enters and fits a requisite distance within the adjacent end of the next sleeve, the overlying edges 2* being riveted together, the fuselage shell so formed being strengthened interiorly if required by interior strengthening members.

According to the present invention the upper plane 5, as will be observed by reference to the drawings, is located and passes transversely across the fuselage 2 at short distance above same, and also. with special reference to Fig. 3, a gap 7 is formed in the plane 5 from the leading edge thereof centrally above the fuselage, the said gap 7 extending rearwards to near behind the cockpit 8 constructed in the fuselage, in which cockpit the pilot is located. The plane 5 passes at such a short distance above the upper surface of the fuseage 2 that the pilot seated in the cockpit 8 is enabled to obtain a view either above the surface of the upper plane 5 or beneath it, this being facilitated also by the gap 7.

The rear edge of the upper plane 5, Fig. 3, immediately above the fuselage also has a gap 9 extending forwardly for a short distance from the trailing edge of the plane 5, to accommodate a gun mounting which may be located in the rear cockpit l0 and which also permits the gunner located in such cockpit to have a view either above or below the upper plane 5.

In the construction shown, the front spars ll, 12 of the upper plane 5 extend across the forward gap 2 of the upper plane above the fuselage, and be meeting ends of the two front spars 11, 12 are united together by a pivot pin which also connects the two ends of the spars to a pillar 13 extending from and fixed to the fuselage in front of the pilot, which pillar may be of streanr line form as shown.

The rear spars i l, 15, Fig. 3, of the upper plane are also united centrally above the fuselage and are similarly supported by a pillar 16 extending from the fuselage.

The connection of the meeting ends of the spars of the upper plane 5 to the fuse legs is more fully shown at Figs. 4:, 5 and 6, where the spars 11, 12 are fitted at their meeting ends with ears 17 which are connected together and to a lug 18 by means of a pin 19, the lug 18 being upstanding from a pillar 13 of sheet metal which is fixed to the fuselage 2, the base of the pillar being mounted upon a strengthening plate 20.

The meeting ends of the rear spars 14, 15 are connected in a precisely similar manner to tie pillar 16 extending from the fuselage.

lVhere the pillars 13, 16 supporting the spars of the upper plane are fixed to the fuselage 2, the said fuselage may be int riorly strengthened by means of an internally located strengthening faine 21, Fig. 6, which is of annular construction and 15 fixed to the interior periphery of the fuse-- lage shell. The strengthening frame 21 at Fig. 6 is composed of an annular girder structure of sheet metal co. rising two parallel plates in the form of webs united by a flange, as will be readily seen from the drawings. Alternatively the annular strengthening structure inside the fuselage, instead of being constructed as at Fig. 6 may be triangular in cross section as will be readily observed from the sectional drawing of this alternative construction shown at Fig. 7.

lVhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an aeroplane flying machine; the combination with a fuselage, and a cockpit therein to accommodate the pilot; of a plane extending above and transversely of the axis of said fuselage to constitute two laterally extending wings, the struc ture of each wing comprising a front spar and a rear spar extending transversely of the direction of flight, said plane having a gap formed therein from the leading edge thereof centrally above said fuselage and extending rearwards to near behind said cockpit, said front spars extending across said gap and meeting centrally thereof above said fuselage, means for connecting together the centrally meeting ends of said front spars and connecting said meeting ends to said fuselage, and said plane be ing located and passing at such a short distance above said fuselage that the pilot located in said cockpit beneath said gap in said plane can obtain an uninterrupted view either above the surface of said plane or beneath it.

2. In an aeroplane flying machine; the combination with a fuselage, a cockpit therein to accommodate the pilot, and a rearwardly located cockpit in said fuselage to accommodate a gunner; of a plane extending above and transversely of the axis of said fuselage to constitute two laterally extending wings, the structure of each Wing comprising a front spar and a rear spar extending transversely of the direction of flight, said plane having a gap formed therein from the leading edge thereof centrally above said fuselage and extending rearwards to near behind said cockpit, said front spars extending across said gap and meeting centrally thereof above said fuselage, and said plane also having a gap extending forwardly from the trailing edge of said plane centrally above said fuselage to expose said rear cockpit accommodating the gunner, said front spars and said rear spars extending across said gaps and meeting centrally thereof above said fuselage, means for connecting together the centrally meeting ends of said front spars and said rear spars and connecting said meeting ends of said front spars and said rear spars to said fuselage, and said plane being located and passing at such a short distance above said fuselage that the pilot and the gunner located in said cockpits beneath said forward and rearward gaps in said plane can obtain an uninterrupted view either above the surface of said plane or beneath it.

3. In an aeroplane flying machine; the combination with a fuselage, and a cockpit therein to accommodate the pilot; of a plane extending above and transversely of the axis of said fuselage to constitute two laterally extending Wings, the structure of each wing comprising a front spar and a rear spar extending transversely of the direction of flight, the adjacent ends of said front spars and said rear spars meeting centrally above said fuselage, said plane having a gap formed therein from the leading edge there of centrally above said fuselage and extending rearwards to near behind said cockpit said front spars extending across said gap, overlapping ears fixed to the meeting ends of said front and rear spars, upstanding pillars fixed to the fuselage beneath said meeting endsof said front spars and said rear spars, an upstanding lug on each of'said pillars coinciding with said ears of said front and rear spars, and pins passing through said ears and said lugs of said upstanding pillars to connect the meeting ends of said sparstogether and to said fuselage, and said plane being located and passing at such a short distance above said fuselage that the pilot located in said cockpit beneath said gap in said plane can obtain an uninterrupted View either above the surface of said plane or beneath it.

4. In an aeroplane flying machine; the

combination with a fuselage composed of a plurality of annular sleeves of sheet metal of requisite diameters, the end of one sleeve entering and fitting a requisite distance within the adjacent end of the next sleeve and soon,

rivets connecting the overlying edges of said sleeves together, and a cockpit in said fuselage to accommodate the pilot; of a plane extending above and transversely of the axis of said fuselage to constitute two laterally extending wings, the structure of each Wing comprising a front spar and a rear spar extending transversely of the direction of flight, the adjacent ends of said front spars and said rear spars meeting centrally above said fuselage, said plane having a gap formed therein from the leading edge thereof centrally above said fuselage and extending rearwards to near behind said cockpit said front spars extending across said gap, overlapping ears fixed to the meeting ends of said front and rear spars, an upstanding hollow sheet metal pillar having a flanged base located beneath the meeting ends of said front spars and a similar pillar located beneath the meeting ends of said rear spars, said base flanges of vsaid pillars contacting with the upper exterior surface of said fuselage, internally located annular strengthening frames fixed within said fuselage one of said frames beneath each of said pillars, and rivets to secure said base flanges of said pillars to said fuselage and said interior annular frames, an upstanding lug on each of said pillars coinciding with said ears of said front and rear spars, and pins passing through said ears and said lugs of said upstanding pillars to connect the meeting ends of said spars together and to said lugs of said pillars, said plane being located and passing at such a short distance above said fuselage that the pilot located in said cockpit beneath said gap in said plane can obtain an uninterrupted view either above the surface of said plane or beneath it.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two Witnesses.

HUGH- OSWALD SHORT.

Witnesses:

FRANK THOMAS DRURY, HENRY MILTON RALPH. 

